Learning how to play guitar in the early days can sometimes lead to frustration for the beginning student. One of the biggest challenges is mastering the skill of making smooth transitions between chord changes.
Training your hands and fingers to do things that they have never done before can be like trying to straighten out a 2 X 4 stud that has been twisted and mangled after laying out in the elements for a couple of years. It seems nearly impossible.
And, as we get older, the more difficult it can be. We all know the saying about old dogs and new tricks. Our 18 year old mixed breed, convinced that she is head of household, is blissfully unaware that dogs are supposed to do anything but eat and snack between naps. I once thought it would be cool to finally teach her to “sit”. She just looked at me with that “you gotta be kidding me” look, and retired to her blanket.
When we first begin the process of learning how to play guitar, the acts of contortion that we ask our fingers to perform can feel strange and awkward. It’s hard enough to teach our fingers to form that first chord, but then we are faced with learning multiple chords and playing them smoothly in a progression.
The good news is, however, is that it’s a learning process we all go through, and that, with a little effort and practice, can be mastered. Here are some things you can do to train your fingers how to change guitar chords quickly and smoothly.
1. Work on each chord individually. Most chord progressions consist of only a few (3 or 4) different chords. Concentrate on the physical aspect of learning how to form those chords one at a time, and also on the mental aspect of being able to “visualize” the shape and pattern of those chords. The mental aspect is extremely important.
2. Start slowly. Play the first chord in the progression, then, regardless of how long it takes, slowly play the next, and so on.
3. Make a print out of the chord diagrams for the chords in the progression and work on the visualization process for the complete progression. Just like a golfer who mentally sees the ball go from the tee to the green – try to visualize playing the chords in sequence.
4. Practice with a metronome. A metronome is a device that helps keep time by playing audible “clicks” that can be set to a desired speed or “tempo”. Begin by setting the metronome to a very slow and deliberate tempo, and learn to play the chord changes at a “snails pace”. Once you are comfortable with that, gradually increase the tempo and become comfortable playing the changes. Keep increasing the tempo in small increments and repeat the process until you can play the changes at full tempo.
5. Make the transition from “thinking” to “feeling”. When learning anything new on the guitar we spend a lot of time “thinking” about how to execute. That’s a perfectly natural part of the process. The goal is to “think” about something only long enough to learn it and for it become ingrained in our musical vocabulary, then to “feel” it.
Only when we make the move from “thinking” to “feeling” are we able to truly make music. You will quickly find that when you play guitar from the “feel” aspect, your chord progressions will begin to flow much more smoothly.
Note – If you don’t have a metronome there are several free online versions available. Just Google “online metronomes”.
Most of all, keep in mind that this is a process that will take some time and practice. Try to avoid getting frustrated by expecting things to happen fast, because they most certainly won’t. Good guitar skills are not born over night. They are developed with practice and determination.
But the great thing is, that when things fall into place and you are able to smoothly and quickly play those chord changes that seemed almost impossible in the beginning, the rewards will be well worth all the work and effort!
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